Generally, when you top the golf ball, it’s because you are making contact above the equator (top half) of the ball. There are a number of potential causes that could be to blame: Swaying. Reverse Pivot. Poor positioning. Clubs that are too short. Uneven weight distribution. In order to address this fault, it might take some trial and error.
Full Answer
How do you stop topping the ball in golf?
The ball might be in a bad lie, lower than your feet. In any case, standing up increases the distance from you to the ball; if you hit the ball at all, you probably are going to hit the top half....
Why do you hit the ground before the golf ball?
Most likely, if you are topping the golf ball, your balance problem is leaving too much weight on your right foot during the downswing. However, it isn't the downswing that you need to fix – it …
How to stop topping the golf ball?
Cause #1: Bottom of Swing Arc Too High. Topping the ball and seeing the clubhead striking the ball above its equator can be explained by a swing that stays too high, in one that doesn’t reach down enough to catch the ball cleanly on the sweet spot of the club. Or in other words, it can be explained by a bottom of the swing arc that is simply too high in relation to the ball (and to …
How to 'top' a golf ball?
If you’ve got the ball too far left (closer to your lead foot) at address, your swing will find its bottom point before it reaches the ball. By impact, the clubhead is traveling up and over the ball, usually clipping it above the equator. If you’ve been topping the …
Why do I hit the top of my golf ball?
How do I stop hitting the golf ball over the top?
How do I stop topping the ball with my irons?
How do I stop topping the golf ball with my driver?
Why can't I stop coming over the top?
Why can'ti stop swinging over the top?
Why am I topping the ball with my fairway woods?
What happens if you stand too far away from the golf ball?
How do you stop topping the ball with fairway woods?
Can you swing up on a golf ball?
Unless the ball is sitting up on thick grass, which would give you a chance to get under it, you'll either swing up on the ball ( as with poor ball position) or stand up during your downswing. But most of the time, you'll still top the ball.
What happens when you adjust your swing so you don't hit the ground?
If you adjust your swing so you don't hit the ground, the clubhead will be swinging upward by the time it reaches the ball. When that happens, you have no chance of hitting the bottom half of the ball . You'll either top or whiff the ball.
What happens if you stand up on a downswing?
The ball might be in a bad lie, lower than your feet. In any case, standing up increases the distance from you to the ball; if you hit the ball at all, you probably are going to hit the top half.
Is standing up bad for the ball?
The ball might be in a bad lie, lower than your feet. In any case, standing up increases the distance from you to the ball; if you hit the ball at all, you probably are going to hit the top half.
What happens if you swing too far forward?
If the ball is too far forward in your stance, it's easy to hit it fat. The clubhead reaches the bottom of its swing arc before it gets to the ball. If you adjust your swing so you don't hit the ground, the clubhead will be swinging upward by the time it reaches the ball. When that happens, you have no chance of hitting the bottom half of the ball.
What happens if you don't hit the ground?
If you adjust your swing so you don't hit the ground, the clubhead will be swinging upward by the time it reaches the ball. When that happens, you have no chance of hitting the bottom half of the ball. You'll either top or whiff the ball.
How to get more clubhead speed?
Throwing the Clubhead. Sometimes you try to gain extra clubhead speed by flipping your wrists at impact, but all you do is straighten your wrists before the clubhead reaches the ball. That makes the club reach the bottom of its arc farther back in your stance, instead of in front of the ball. The clubhead then swings upward sooner ...
How to throw a golf club toward the ground?
It can be helpful to practice this by placing a ball in your right hand, from your golf posture. Allow the elbow to fold as it would in your backswing and then throw the ball so that it hits the ground.
What ruins a golf swing?
Nothing ruins a great golf swing like a loss of balance. Assuming you’re in a good set up to start, it only takes a small loss of balance to cause you to top the ball. A good check of balance is holding your finish until your golf ball lands.
Is topping a score killer?
Often, a thin shot can be recoverable, but topping can be a score-killing shot, and immensely frustrating if you don’t know what’s causing it. In simplest terms, in order to get the ball up into the air — and not rolling across the ground — is to hit down into the dirt. (GETTY)
How to get the ball down to the ground?
1. Bad Posture. Good posture is the basis for solid contact. Bowing forward from your hips so that your hands can hang below your shoulders can put you in balance and also get the club down to the ground. Too much knee flex or squatting can often make it extremely difficult to get the club down into the turf, and therefore get the ball into the air.
When your ball is at a neutral position on the ground, your club needs to dig into the ground?
When your ball is at a neutral position on the ground, your club needs to dig into the ground in order to achieve contact at the true loft of your club. This is one of the many counter-intuitive motions in golf, many of which take time to learn.
What happens if you stand too far away from the ball?
If you stand too far away from the ball at address, it’s almost difficult not to top the ball without a heroic move. Reaching for the ball — where your arms often get into a diagonal position — will often lead to a thin shot or a top.
Why is it so hard to keep your head down?
The problem with keeping your head down is that it limits your body’s ability to move athletically. If you attempt to keep your head down, it’s very difficult to allow your body to rotate properly on your downswing to get the club down to the ground and the ball into the air. 7. Tension in hands and arms.
How to stop hitting golf ball too high?
In order to stop hitting the golf ball too high, you need to ensure you have the proper setup position and equipment. You also need to correct any swing faults that are contributing to the issue.
Why is my golf ball flying high?
One of the most common causes of a high ball flight is tempo. When people swing too fast, they struggle to make contact with the sweet spot of the club. Without doing this, it’s difficult to achieve a consistent trajectory.
What causes a high ball flight?
There are a number of things that might be responsible for causing a high, weak ball flight, including: 1 Improper setup 2 Swing faults 3 Bad tempo 4 Improper equipment
Can humans hit the ball properly?
Unfortunately, being human, none of us hit the ball properly each time. Even worse, some of us consistently hit the ball too high, which makes the ball travel in ways we did not intend and leads to frustrating scores. Fortunately, we humans can adapt and correct our mistakes – even in golf!
What happens when the ball flies high?
When the ball flies too high, it decreases the potential distance of the shot and is much more likely to be blown off course by the wind. This makes it nearly impossible to control where the ball will end up (both distance-wise and direction) and adds more strokes to your scorecard.
When is the most important part of a golf shot?
Arguably the most important part of each shot in golf occurs before you even begin to swing the club. When struggling with hitting the golf ball too high, many players try to make drastic changes to their golf swing.
What happens if the ball is too far forward?
The ball is too far forward in your stance. The more forward the ball is in your stance, the less lag the club will have at the point of impact. This means that extra loft is added to the club. Not only will less lag produce a high, weak ball flight, but it will also significantly reduce distance. The fix:
Is it fun to hit topped shots in golf?
Hitting topped shots on the golf course is never a fun experience. You may have to listen to a few jokes from your playing partners, and your score will suffer as well. Fortunately, you should be able to get rid of the ground balls by working on a few different fundamentals in your swing.
How to hit top shot golf?
One way to hit topped golf shots is to use only your arms as you swing the club back and through. If your legs aren't involved in the swing, you will have trouble transferring your weight onto your left foot, and you will be prone to hitting ground balls as a result.
How to keep your arms loose in golf?
Long, deep breaths help too. Once you've set up to the ball, don't hold the club too tightly. A grip pressure of 5 (on a 1-10 scale) or less will keep your arms loose and foster a nice, full backswing. Finally, focus intently on the back of the ball until it has left the clubface – chances are, it'll be airborne.
What is poor balance in golf?
Poor balance. Many amateur golfers struggle with poor balance, and one of the side effects of that problem can be topped shots. You need to have your center of gravity in the correct place if you are going to strike the ball cleanly time after time.
Why is it important to stay on balance in golf?
Staying on balance will allow you to control the positioning of the bottom of your swing, which will allow you to avoid the dreaded ground ball. Arm-only swing. The whole body needs to be involved in a good golf swing – and when it isn't, bad things can happen.
Does hitting the ball into the air help your score?
There are plenty of occasions during a round of golf where you have to hit over some sort of obstacle, so the ability to consistently send your shots into the air is something that will greatly help your scores. For the beginning golfer, hitting the ball into the air might be a little easier said than done.
Why is it important to get the ball in the air on each swing?
Golf becomes far more interesting when you can reliably get the ball in the air on each swing, because you will be able to start planning shot shapes, picking specific targets, and more. Put in the time now to learn how to get the ball in the air and your future on the golf course will be much more exciting.
Can you hit a ball too far back?
Specifically, a ball placed too much back in your stance can be difficult to hit cleanly. Such a stance will likely see the swing arc bottom positioned too far after the ball is hit. Similarly, a ball placed too much forward in your stance can also prove difficult to hit cleanly but for the opposite reason.
Can you hit a topped shot if you hit the bottom of the swing?
Yes, a swing that sees the bottom of the swing arc located behind the ball too much will not produce a pure strike and if far enough can result in a topped shot. Instead of properly striking the ball – or trapping the ball – as the club is moving in a downward motion it may do so while the club is rising if the bottom of ...
What is a top shot in golf?
In golf a topped shot is one that see the club hitting the ball above its equator. (For a shot that sees the club hitting just below the equator see the page on thin shots ).
What is the bottom of the swing arc?
Or in other words, it can be explained by a bottom of the swing arc that is simply too high in relation to the ball (and to where it should be). Indeed, in a well struck shot using an iron for example, the bottom of the swing arc will be found slightly below the surface of the ground which will produce a nice little divot.
What does it mean when your swing is reverse pivoting?
Your swing is said to suffer from a reverse pivot if you are moving your weight in the opposite (reverse) way. Instead of moving your weight back towards your right foot during the backswing you will move it forward towards the front foot.
How to move weight back in tennis?
Instead of moving your weight back towards your right foot during the backswing you will move it forward towards the front foot. Likewise, during the downswing and as you head into impact with the ball, you will move the weight back towards your right foot, instead of correctly moving it forward towards your left foot.
Is it ok to choke down on a golf club?
Choking down on the club, while useful in certain scenarios can be overdone and is not always a good idea. If you are topping shots when choking down on the club, consider choking down less, or avoiding to choke at all by holding the club near the top of the grip.
What happens if you hit the ball too far left?
If you’ve got the ball too far left (closer to your lead foot) at address, your swing will find its bottom point before it reaches the ball. By impact, the clubhead is traveling up and over the ball, usually clipping it above the equator. If you’ve been topping the ball often, check your ball position first.
Is it lateral or vertical movement when hitting a golf ball?
However, for most people, it isn’t lateral movement that they need to worry about when it comes to topping the golf ball. Rather, it is vertical movement. When you start to move your body up and down during the golf swing you will be exposing yourself to the possibility of hitting a topped shot.
What happens if you don't clear your swing?
If you aren’t clear on what is going on in your swing that is leading to the topping of the ball, you don’t stand much of a chance at all to fix it. The good news is that unlike some other parts of the golf swing, the issue that you are likely dealing with to create this problem is relatively easy to understand.
Can you sit still while swinging a golf club?
Of course you can’t sit still while swinging a golf club, but the same notion still applies. If you are moving up and down while trying to do everything else that hitting a golf ball requires, you are destining yourself for failure. The problem of moving up and down during the swing is not an uncommon one.
How does rotation work in golf?
Rotation works in both directions, as well – you have to rotate away from the target if you are going to be able to rotate towards it with any kind of power and aggression.
Is the topped shot embarrassing?
Ah, the topped shot. It’s embarrassing, all right. Even worse, the ego damage is compounded by a lousy result, which moves you only a little closer to the intended target.
What happens when you hit behind the ball?
Hitting fat, hitting heavy, chunking the ball, grounding the club, whatever you call it, hitting behind the ball can cause huge issues in your game. Hitting behind the ball causes a divot to get between your club and the ball, resulting in an ugly mis-hit which tends only to jump 5 or 10 yards forwards. Hitting behind the ball can happen ...
Should your hips rotate before hitting a golf ball?
Similarly, if your hips start to rotate before or during contact, this will yield the same unwanted result. During your swing, your head should stay in place over the ball, and lower body movement should be at a minimum before impact.
Where should the ball be in your stance?
The ball should be in the center of your stance for iron shots or even a bit further back for shorter clubs.
What does it mean when your back shoulder drops?
Dropping the Back Shoulder. Similarly to a loose leading arm, dipping your back shoulder can give the same issue from the opposite side of your body. Allowing your back shoulder to drop causes you to make a scooping motion towards the ball, rather than hitting right through. The scooping motion causes you to take a divot and lose the shot.
Why release the club early?
Releasing the Club Early. Also known as ‘casting’, releasing the club too early disrupts your swing plane, causing you to hit across the ball rather than through it . Not only is this an issue by itself, but it also promotes the hip movement we spoke about earlier.
How to practice golf set up?
There are a couple of ways to practice your set-up which will give you the muscle memory needed for success on the course: Place a club across your toes to aid with alignment, this will give a reference point for where to place the ball. You can go a step further by placing two clubs in a cross shape.
How to place a golf club on your toes?
Place a club across your toes to aid with alignment, this will give a reference point for where to place the ball. You can go a step further by placing two clubs in a cross shape. Stand with your toes against the horizontal line and place the ball at the top of the vertical.
FairwaysToHeaven
i've been doing the same thing. pretty decent iron player but lately i've been hitting all my drivers short, straight, and high. found out i was hitting at the very top of the face. it came down to concentrating on swinging the clubhead through without grazing the teebed like i used to.
Reft
Had a lesson today with my instructor where I asked him the advantages of teeing it higher or lower with driver. For me, my swing is too steep sometimes with the driver and I end up hitting it near the top of the face as well. He recommended teeing it up higher than I normally would and practicing hitting balls like that.
